GQ Columnist Apologizes for Claim Trump Radicalized ‘So Many More People than ISIS’

GQ columnist Julia Ioffe apologized after she said on CNN that President Trump “has radicalized so many more people than ISIS ever did.”

In the CNN conversation about the horrific shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue that left 11 people dead, Ioffe blamed President Trump on Twitter for moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in Israel.

Ioffe tweeted on Saturday:[1]“And a word to my fellow American Jews: This president makes this possible. Here. Where you live. I hope the embassy move over there, where you don’t live was worth it.”

“I think this president, one of the things that he really launched his presidential run on is talking about Islamic radicalization,” Ioffe said. “And this president has radicalized so many more people than ISIS ever did. I mean, the way he talks, the way he…“

“That’s just — it’s unconscionable for you to say that,” said CNN contributor David Urban, who tried to counteract Ioffe’s claim. But Ioffe continued.

“The way that he allows these people — the way he winks and nods to these groups. The way he says, ‘I know I’m not supposed to say it, but I’m a nationalist,’” Ioffe said. “The way that he hems and haws when he has to condemn these people and kind of gritting his teeth kind of says, fine, OK, I condemn this … ISIS had like 10,000 members. I think the president has far more supporters who espouse an equally hateful ideology.”

Tapper said later on the show that the Republican National Committee pushed back against Ioffe, who then walked back her comments on CNN.She also walked them back on Twitter:[2] “I clarified and apologized on air, but I’ll say it again here. This has been a very emotional and painful time, but I absolutely should not have gone with such hyperbole on the air. I apologize.”